


More Of You

by aesthetic__us



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Coffeeshop AU, College AU, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I don't know where I'm going with this fic, Jealous Lance, M/M, PINING KEITH, coffeeshop/college au, pining lance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-04-23 03:24:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14323497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aesthetic__us/pseuds/aesthetic__us
Summary: Keith Kogane has been working in the Soft Shop coffeehouse for a while now. Ever since he met Lance McClain, his life has never been the same. The two were first both introduced to each other through Shiro, and it wasn’t long before they both became comfortable with each other’s bickering and teasing. It also wasn’t long before Keith figured out that the loud pounding in his chest, the feeling of being on cloud 9, and the nervousness all came from being around the most beautiful human he had ever laid his eyes on.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It is currently 12 am, and I have to wake up early, however, this idea to make this came to me and I got carried away. So...yeah! Enjoy~

The small, slightly rusted bell jingled as Keith opened the door to the small, cozy shop. The strong, familiar scent of ground coffee beans and the sweet smell of creamer hit the black haired boy's nose. He took a deep breath in as he let the door close behind him. The light gray, almost white walls enveloped him in warmth, cutting him off from the harsh winds his body had been fighting against a few seconds earlier.  
"Shiro, are you here?" the boy asked as he unwrapped himself from the black wool scarf and shook off his thick winter jacket, hanging them on the small wooden coat rack by the door.  
Keith walked around the counter and opened the door to the side. He walked inside to find Shiro kissing Allura. Keith, not bothering to glance at them for a second more, lightly pushed them aside, as they were blocking the boiling pot of coffee. He reached up and opened a wooden cabinet to grab a paper cup, sugar, and cream.  
"You could have said excuse me," Shiro pulled away to face Keith.  
Pouring the coffee into his cup, Keith scoffed. "I asked if you were here and you didn't even bother to answer."  
Allura, who was still leaning against the marble counter, chuckled and ruffled the younger boy's soft hair. Keith pouted but didn't move away.  
"Oh, by the way, my mom was asking if you two wanted to come over for dinner," Keith took a tablespoon from the wooden drawer to his left and began mixing sugar and cream in.  
"Movie night with pizza?" Allura asked.  
Keith nodded and sipped his drink. "Yeah, we rented a few comedies."  
"Krolia is so fun! Can she adopt me?" Allura reached for Keith's drink. He handed it to her and she took a big gulp. She made a face, paused, and then drank some more.  
"Well, she practically adopted Shiro. So if anything, she's testing the waters to see if you're good enough for her son," Keith joked, grabbing his drink before the white-haired girl could down it all.  
"But, " Shiro interjected, " from what we've heard, she already likes you, so you've got nothing to worry about." Shiro gave Allura a quick kiss on her forehead before walking out to help set everything up.  
"Shiro, shouldn't you be heading to your class soon?" Keith called out.  
"Is it a crime to help out my two favorite people in the morning?" Shiro questioned. He began to lift the chairs from their upside down position on the table and set them on the floor properly.  
Keith looked at Allura who just shrugged.  
The two had been dating for about a year already. Keith had first been cautious around Allura, believing that no one was good enough for his ‘older brother’. However, she had broken his barriers down, and soon she became someone special to him as well. He viewed her as an older sister, and he knew that if he ever had a problem, she would always have her door open to him.  
Keith saw the girl’s eyes flicker down to his drink again, and he rolled his eyes before letting her have another sip. Allura’s eyes gleamed as he pushed the drink towards her.  
“This is why I love you,” she said before grabbing the drink, taking an enormous gulp, and handing it back. Soon, Keith joined Shiro in the front, setting his cup down on a table.  
Keith grabbed napkin dispensers and placed them on the tables after Shiro was done with them.  
"Yeah, it is a crime when you don't even work here," Keith replied to Shiro’s unanswered question.  
Shiro placed the last chair on the tile floor before running a hand through his hair. "Well, I already have a part-time job."  
"Yeah, yeah. I know. " Keith waved a hand, dismissing what was sure to be a speech. "Are we still on for lunch?"  
Keith grabbed a hair tie and tied his hair into his usual ponytail. He grabbed his coffee and finished it before tossing the cup in the nearby trash can.  
Shiro checked his phone to check the time. "Yeah. At 2, right?" He slipped his phone into the back pocket of his jeans.  
"Yeah."  
“Great.” Shiro stretched his hands above his head before walking towards the door.  
“Wait! It’s cold outside.” Keith warned, grabbing onto Shiro’s arm. As if to prove the statement true, strong wind banged against the door and what little wind was able to slip in from under the door howled eerily.  
Shiro looked at Keith confused. Everyone always complained about how Keith never took care of himself, but compared to him, Shiro was even worse. There were sometimes that Keith questioned how the boy was able to survive for so long.  
“Where’s your coat? Please tell me you at least brought a jacket,” Keith sighed, exasperated.  
Shiro smiled sheepishly and began to rub the back of his neck. “I actually did, but Allura forgot her’s.”  
Keith stared at him for a few more seconds before shaking his head. He unhooked his jacket and handed it to Shiro. Shiro’s eyebrows began to furrow.  
“What about you? You have to go to walking to your class in about two hours.” Shiro questioned, already pushing the jacket back.  
“I have an extra sweater in the back. Don’t worry about it.” Keith turned around, grabbed the broom a few feet from him and began to sweep the floor.  
“Thanks, Keith.” Shiro quickly put the jacket on before yelling out, “Bye Allura!”  
Keith winced at the sudden booming of his voice and Shiro chuckled. “I love the both of you. Take care! I’ll be back later,” he announced before turning the sign on the door to say Open and walking out.  
“Hey, Keith!” Allura poked her head out from the back room.  
“Yeah?” Keith replied.  
“I hope you don’t mind, but yesterday I dirtied my sweater so I took your extra one home. I’ll wash it tonight and return it to you tomorrow,” she announced as she came around and took the broom from Keith’s hands.  
“Crap.”


	2. The Beginning of Everything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's 11:25 PM and I have to wake up early tomorrow. For those who read my works, you can see it's a habit of mine to stay up late and write the chapters out instead of writing them and publishing them at reasonable times.   
> My priorities are everywhere.   
> I am a mess.  
> Please enjoy!~

Keith pulled the scarf tighter around himself, relying on the cloth as his only source of warmth. With the colder times approaching, it probably wasn't the best idea to walk around without a sweater, but his classes cost more than he would like, and hell be damned if he missed one just for a stupid jacket. The strong wind sent chills from his neck down to his back. Keith raised his hand and freed his hair to provide his exposed neck a little bit of warmth. He walked as quickly as his slowly freezing legs would allow him, every sound of his sneakers hitting the pavement providing a nice rhythm. Keith slowed to a stop at the red light and adjusted his backpack to a more comfortable position. Since he had stayed at work until closing time yesterday, he had forgotten his backpack in the back of the shop. Luckily, he had finished all of his work that night.

Keith shuddered and let out a small puff of air. He watched it for a second, mesmerized at how the cold made it visible. It wasn't long before the light turned green again, and Keith continued his painful journey towards V University.

Keith sighed with relief once he reached the outskirts of the campus. He pulled his phone out and checked for any recent messages. There were none, but that was not a surprise. It was 9:30, signaling he had half an hour to walk to the building where his class was held. Luckily, the science department was in the middle of the campus. A few students who he'd worked on a project with or had seen at Soft Shop waved or yelled out a greeting. Keith waved back but didn't bother stopping to engage in conversations.

As he neared the science department, he swore he caught a glimpse of Lance. Usually, he'd catch Keith around this area and they would walk to class together. It became a small habit of theirs after they were introduced to each other.

It all started with a dinner Shiro had invited Keith to. Allura had encouraged him to go, saying they were going to meet up with a few more friends. Usually, Keith would have politely declined and stayed in his dorm to watch movies and eat take-out food. However, Shiro had convinced him that the people they were going to have dinner with were nice people, and the fact that Keith's stomach was yelling to be filled with food didn't help his cause.

 He eventually had given in, and in the end, he met Lance, Hunk, and Pidge. They all were really quirky in their own way, and at first, he couldn't tell if he liked that about them or if it annoyed him. Lance had especially caught his eye. Keith could remember the day the met like it was yesterday. At first, Keith had thought the Latino had hated his guts.

The place they had chosen to meet at was, luckily, not too fancy. He let out a small puff of breath when he spotted Allura and Shiro already at the table with three people. When Keith arrived, he awkwardly stood at the foot of the table, black jeans and a white t-shirt on. He tried to smile as to not come off as mean before introducing himself. Lance gave him what he assumed was supposed to be a subtle once-over. Lance then turned to Hunk with a smile and stated, "Es guapo."

Hunk side eyed Lance with a hint of alarm before strongly replying, "No. Don't even think about it."

Keith's eyebrows begun to furrow in concern, thinking that they had decided to hate him on the spot. It seemed Hunk had caught onto his distress because, in the blink of an eye, he was smiling brightly at Keith.

"Hey, Keith. I'm Hunk, and the dork to my right is Lance. Right next to him is Pidge," Hunk smiled brighter if that was even possible. Keith nodded, acknowledging each party member with a small smile.

Keith eyed Lance while he moved to sit beside Allura, right in front of Pidge. While Hunk had seemed to genuinely welcome Keith, Lance still seemed to be eyeing him. Nervous, Keith ran a hand through his hair. He caught Lance lightly nudging Hunk, who only seemed to roll his eyes at whatever nonsense he had been whispering to him at that time.

Keith sighed. There was always a person who ended up not liking him for some reason or another, and it seemed like in this situation, it was no exception. The night had ended without an incident, and by the end of the dinner, Keith had confirmed that the trio was not a bad group.

It was a shock to arrive to class the next day to find out that he had Lance in his aerospace engineering physics class. Keith had been walking into the new class, taking in his surroundings when a familiar face caught his eye. Lance had immediately walked up to him with a wide smile on his face.

"Hey, Keith!" He had planned on leaning on one of the tables to convey a cool and casual look, but a girl had sat down at the edge closest to Keith, and he didn't want to make her feel weird with his back pressed into her desk space.

Keith had looked behind him to make sure Lance was talking to him. He heard Lance let out a laugh, which made feel Keith feel a bit self-conscious and skeptical. While Lance's greeting had seemed cheery, maybe he wanted to intimidate Keith. Keith had been in these types of situations before, so he decided to just deal with this problem head-on.

Gathering all his courage, he looked Lance in his eye before huffing out, "Look, I get it if you don't like me. But can you please just not? At least not during class."

Lance raised his eyebrow at the statement, confused. " And what makes you think that I don't like you?"

"You were whispering about me to Hunk, no?" Keith accused, leaning back on his left foot and crossing his arms.

Lance's cheeks began to flush, and Keith tried to quite his inner gay thoughts that told him the boy in front of him looked cute like that.

"It's just that you reminded me of someone I knew in the past," Lance lied.

"Oh, really?" Keith genuinely asked.

"Yeah."

Keith opened his mouth, wanting to keep asking about the "person" he resembled, just to see if Lance was telling the truth. However, the professor came in. Both boys grabbed the nearest seats, and any questions Keith had soon became forgotten.

Since then, Lance had proved that he didn't dislike Keith, and Keith didn't find any other reason to keep trying to question the boy.  He ended up finding that Lance made a good friend, even though some of his puns were horrifyingly terrible. In fact, he had ended up getting quite close with not only Lance but Hunk and Pidge as well.

Keith pulled his phone out and quickly texted Lance, asking him if he was near. When he scanned the area, he found that the figure he thought he had mistaken as Lance was actually him. Lance was walking away from him and away from the science department building. He started to walk after Lance when his phone buzzed. Keith looked at his screen to see that Lance had replied, telling him to walk on ahead without him. Keith looked back up at the retreating figure. He contemplated following him, but a gust of wind had him walking towards the surely warm classroom.

It had been five minutes since he reached the room, and there were six minutes until the start of class. It seemed like Lance wasn't going to show up today. He frowned, trying to figure out why Lance would suddenly walk away.

Pidge walked into the room, looking around, before heading towards Keith.

"Hey man, where's Lance?" Pidge questioned.

"I dunno," Keith replied.

"He's not here yet? He left the dorms a while ago, according to Hunk. Is that little goody two shoes ditching?" Pidge asked with a smirk.

Keith shrugged and leaned backwards. "Ditching an engineering physics class? He's dumb, but I don't think he's that dumb."

"It's okay, Keith. I'm sure your boyfriend will be here soon," Pidge chuckled and lightly jabbed Keith's side.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Keith hissed out, face reddening.

"Uh-huh," Pidge teased.

After Keith got comfortable with Lance, Hunk, and Pidge, the four started hanging out more often. It had been about 4 months in that Keith realized he was developing feelings for Lance. It had been 6 months into their friendship that Pidge had figured out Keith's little secret. Keith had been scared that she would tell the group and Lance. He had been terrified that Lance would feel awkward about it and distance himself. He knew that Lance was straight, and he also knew he would be too nice to tell Keith to his face that being around him made him uncomfortable. Keith knew that Lance would instead just start hanging out with him less and less until what they had built as friends dissolved into nothing.

To Keith's surprise, Pidge had been very supportive of the whole thing. She would constantly tease him and make sure that no matter where they were, Keith was always close to Lance. Keith knew that he couldn't take it any farther than that without outing himself, but it still didn't change the fact that he loved Pidge to death because of the effort she put in.

"Well, my class starts in ten minutes, so I best start walking over there now. Tell Lance to text me," Pidge ruffled Keith's hair affectionately.

Keith's eyebrows furrowed and he lightly swatted her hand away. "Why don't you text him yourself?"

" 'Cuz he always answers faster when it's you," Pidge deadpanned.

Keith looked at the clock on the wall. It was 9:59, meaning there was a minute left until class officially started.

Without waiting for a retort, Pidge walked out of the class.

Before Keith knew it, it was 10:03, and neither Lance nor the professor had shown up. Feeling a bit frustrated, Keith quickly opened his phone and went to his messages.

K- _Where are you??_

As soon as Keith pressed the send button, Lance walked into the room, face red and looking out of breath. He took long strides towards Keith and dropped his backpack on the floor unceremoniously before flopping onto the empty chair beside him. Before Keith could ask anything, a hoodie was thrown at him.

"You looked cold," was all Lance said before focusing on taking his materials out.  "Where's the professor?"

"Not here yet," Keith muttered out, still holding the soft blue hoodie in his hands.  When Keith didn't make a move to put the hoodie on, Lance let out a sigh.

"I did not just run all the way to my swim locker and run back for you to not wear that hoodie." Lance grabbed the hoodie and began to help Keith into it. "What were you thinking, coming to school without a sweater in this weather."

Keith's head popped out from the top, hair disheveled, and Lance had to urge down the butterflies in his stomach and hold back from stealing a quick kiss from the boy in front of him.

"It's not my fault! Allura took my spare sweater, " Keith argued.

"Next time call me or something. Don't just walk around like that. You could get seriously sick, Keith." Lance scolded him. It reminded him of the countless times he had scolded his nieces and nephews for doing the same thing. 

"Shiro was right. You really don't know how to take care of yourself," Lance lightly laughed out.

Keith outraged, began to retell the story of how Shiro almost went to work without a sweater because his love-struck self was on cloud nine, but he got cut off in the middle when the professor walked in.

"Sorry for being late. The traffic this morning was unbelievable! Anyway, let's get started."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What Lance whispered to Hunk when they met Keith was "He's handsome"   
> I felt like this chapter could have been better written, but I am sleep deprived and tired, so this is the best it will ever be.


	3. Just Another Heartbreak

Keith slugged his backpack on and stood up to stretch. The lesson had been a long one, and he wasn't sure if he understood everything. Keith lightly rolled his neck to release the tension from being hunched over, trying to write everything he thought would be important later. Lance quickly shoved his notebook into his backpack before shoving his backpack on as well.

"That lesson was a rough one, " Lance sighed out. His hair was a bit wild today, and Keith couldn't figure out if it was because of the wind when he first entered the class or from Lance constantly running his hand through it whenever the professor tried to explain something he didn't understand in the least.

"Tell me about it," Keith complained. "By the way, Pidge was looking for you earlier."

Lance nodded, "Yeah,  I ran into her when I was on my way here. I told her we'd meet her after her class ended."

"So you decided to just drag me along without asking?" Keith raised an eyebrow playfully.

Lance gave him a sheepish smile while rubbing the back of his neck, and Keith rolled his eyes affectionately. It wasn't like it would take long for Pidge to come out. Plus, his shift didn't start until an hour later, so he had time to kill.

"Okay, let's go meet the little gremlin," Lance yawned out.

"This is why I'm Pidge's favorite," Keith snorted. Keith quickly shot a text to Pidge informing her that they were on their way to her classroom.

Lance slung an arm around Keith's shoulders as they walked out of the class and down the hallway. "Yeah, right!"

Keith leaned into Lance's warmth, slightly bumping his hip with his. "You have Hunk. As a member of the group, I have the right to steal Pidge way."

After that, a comfortable silence engulfed them, and Keith didn't complain when he felt the arm around his shoulders draw him a bit closer.

When they reached Pidge's class, it was barely 1:47 p.m., which meant that they would have to wait for about 3 more minutes before she came out.

Keith leaned against the wall before sliding down and pulling his phone out. He hopped on Instagram and scrolled through his recent feed, trying to find an entertaining post.

"Hey, Keith?" Lance asked from above him.

"Hm?" Keith hummed, not looking up from someone's review of a book he had been wanting to buy for a while.

"What about me?"

"What about you?" Keith locked his phone with a click before looking up.

Lance stared at him with a nervous look. He shifted his foot and took a small breath.

"About who's your favorite…"Lance's face began to redden a bit, but he continued," Wha-what about me?"

Keith gripped his phone, his heartbeat speeding up and sounding loud to his own ears. His thoughts started spinning at a thousand miles an hour. He wanted to believe that there was a deeper meaning behind the question, but he couldn't bring himself to be foolish. He knew Lance just wanted to know where they stood as friends. It wasn't something surprising, considering he had accused Lance of hating him when they first met.

Keith's chest began to hurt. He was bringing his feelings into this again. And every time Keith did this, he hated himself a bit more. As hard as he tried, he couldn't seem to get over Lance. Every little touch or smile made him think of many "what-ifs", and all those small thoughts always ended in a broken heart as soon as a girl was mentioned or flirted with. It seemed like a never-ending cycle of pining and heartbreak.

Keith tried to smile, but he was pretty sure it looked strained and pained. "Lance, I was just kidding about the favorites thing. I'm pretty sure if you asked Pidge, she would choose you as her favorite. As for me, I like all of you equally."

Lance nodded, but it seemed like that wasn't the answer he had been looking for. His face turned into one of contemplation, and it looked like he wanted to say more, but the door next to them burst open, cutting their conversation short.

It wasn't long before Pidge walked out of her class, her side bag lightly hitting her thigh with each step she took.

"Hey!" Pidge greeted and couldn't help but notice the look of distress and dread on Keith's face and slight hurt and confusion on Lance's.

"Who's your favorite in our group?" Lance blurted out.

"Keith," Pidge answered without missing a beat.

"Well," Keith stood and dusted his pants off, "my decision stays as is. I don't have a favorite. I need to get to my job, so I'll catch you guys later."

Keith started to walk away before he felt a hand on his wrist. He looked down to see Pidge's face laced with a bit of concern.

"Actually, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind if we tagged along. I have some things that I have to discuss with Lance, and I've been craving some of Allura's coffee." Pidge suggested. The raven-haired boy knew what she was doing. She was trying to get Keith and Lance to spend more time together without it being obvious. Keith wanted to decline, but he knew that he had no right to deny them entry to the shop, much less just bounce as soon as an inconvenience popped up because of his stupid feelings getting in the way.

"I'm down," Lance walked towards to duo, a smile already plastered on his face.

"Sure," Keith agreed.

When the three students stepped out of the building, the wind immediately began pushing against them. Pidge would have been knocked over if Keith wasn't behind her to hold her steady. As they began walking, Keith pulled the sleeves of the hoodie so they completely covered his fingers from the chilling wind.

"Keith, I didn't know you were on the swim team," Pidge commented when she saw the hoodie on him. She lightly pulled on the back of his bag. Her eyes widened when she saw the name Lance McClain on the back instead of Keith Kogane.

"It's not mine," Keith mumbled. Pidge began to wiggle her eyebrows at him, and usually, the teasing would have made butterflies fill his stomach. However, the recent conversation had left a sour taste in his mouth. When Pidge saw that, she lightly narrowed her eyes at Lance, who had been checking his phone.

 _What did he do?_ She mouthed.

Keith just shook his head. Pidge frowned. She looked back at Lance. Keith couldn't have confessed, because if that had gone south, Lance would have been more jittery.

"So, Lance, who are you texting? A new girlfriend?" Pidge questioned, trying to see if Lance had mentioned a woman to Keith, causing the weird behavior.

She saw Lance's eyes flicker towards Keith before he responded with emphasis, "No, I have my eyes on someone already."

Keith stiffened and wrapped his arms around himself.

"What about you Keith? Have anyone you're interested?" Lance asked, eyes never leaving the back of the boy's head.

Keith hesitated, before actually coming up with a response. "Yeah, but they won't ever notice me. It's a one-sided love kind of thing."

"Love?" Lance questioned.

"Yeah. Once it exceeds four to five months, it can be considered love, " Pidge commented.

"Oh," was all Lance said before the conversation died.

From there, everyone was lost in their own thoughts.

Keith was dreading his decision for ever letting himself get comfortable with Lance. He knew that Lance would be so friendly that it would confuse Keith when there was really no room to be confused about anything.

Pidge was constantly worrying about Keith. There were two moods that Keith had when it came to Lance. Keith was either pining so hard it was annoying, or Keith was just done with the constant small heartbreaks he had throughout their time together, and he started hating himself for falling for Lance.

One time Keith had been so excited to go to a bar with their group. He had been talking Pidge's ear off in his dorm about how he was so excited about meeting Hunk and Lance at the bar. From what Pidge could gather from his fast talk that floated from the restroom he was changing in, he had decided that he was going to make his move tonight. Keith couldn't decide if his move would be kissing him or just dancing with him.

Keith had popped his head out from the bathroom to ask, "You think there's a small chance he might be bi?"

"With Lance, anything is possible," Pidge chuckled.

When they had arrived, they had spotted Hunk immediately. He was at a table drinking with his girlfriend, Shay, however, Lance was nowhere to be found. They had sat down and chatted for about twenty minutes, and there was still no sign of the said boy. It also seemed like Keith was getting a bit jittery.

"I think I need to go to the restroom," Keith had announced after his third drink.

"Me too!" Pidge pipped up, scooting the chair back so hard it almost clattered to the floor.

The semi-lit room was giving her a bit of a headache and the sprite that she had ordered did not seem to be helping. Nor did the free tortilla chips.

"Can you look out for Lance? He's been gone quite a while," Hunk grabbed Pidge's arm.

She nodded before following Keith to what she assumed was the location of the restrooms. There was a heavy amount of people on the floor dancing, and so even though they stayed by the edges, they still got bumped into every once in a while. It took a bit of searching before they were able to find the restrooms, which were packed. There was a small line forming outside for both the girls and the boys. Right outside of the boy's restroom was Lance, who was being kissed by a girl in a tight red dress.

Keith stood there for a few seconds before turning around and walking away.

"Hey, wait up!" Pidge yelled, running after the fleeing boy.  "Where are you going?!"

"Home," Keith grunted out, suddenly feeling foolish for even considering the idea that tonight might have been 'the night'.

"Let's at least go back to the table," Pidge tried to grab Keith's arm, but only ended up with a handful of his sweater.

Keith pursed his lips before he sighed. Without any other words, he began to make his way to the table, the smaller girl standing behind him and using the room people made for him to her advantage.

"That was quick!" Hunk chirped when they got closer. "Did you find Lance?"

Keith's nose curled a bit, in disgust or hurt, Pidge did not know. "Yeah, he's having the time of his life right now."

Pidge lightly flinched at the monotone voice that the raven-haired boy had adopted. If Hunk noticed, he didn't comment on it and neither did Shay.

"I'm feeling a bit sick, so I'm going to call it a day," Keith patted Hunk's shoulder lightly.

"So quick? But you just got here!" Shay exclaimed.

Keith hummed, not wanting to really talk at the moment. The loud thrumming of the music was hurting his already pounding head. The warmth of the room and moving bodies was making the air hard to breathe as well.

"Yeah, he almost vomited on the way to the restrooms. I'll take care of him, though. We'll see you all tomorrow," Pidge lightly pushed Keith towards the door when he saw Lance approaching the tables from the corner of her eye. 

Hunk nodded, fully looking at Keith. "You don't look so good, now that you mention it. I hope you feel better buddy."

Without any other comment, Keith and Pidge began making their way to the entrance. When Pidge looked back, she saw Lance looking at them in confusion. She knew that he would try to stop them, so she turned around again and urged Keith to walk a little faster. Keith didn't protest at all; he wanted to go to his dorm and curl in his bed and sleep forever.

When they exited, Keith turned to the small girl to his left. She had left with him when she didn't have to. She could have made him stay there and not have been understanding. But she was. He was dragging her from a night of fun just because he couldn't keep his emotions in check. "You can go back, you know. I can make it home alone."

Pidge turned to look up at him and scoffed. " I know that. That place was too crowded for me, so I decided to leave as well."

They walked in silence for the rest of the journey, only broken when Pidge found a convenience store. They stay in there for about 10 minutes, stalking up on ice cream, chips, sugary drinks, snacks, and water bottles. Keith had been confused, wondering what Pidge would need all the food for. When he got to his dorm, however, he found that the food had been for the two of them.

"Take out your laptop and go to Netflix or something," Pidge called out to Keith as she dumped all of the bags onto the floor by the bed.

“Pidge, as much as I would to have a movie night, I’d really like to be alone right now” Keith groaned, sliding his hand down his face.

”I know. But I don't think that you should deal with this alone. So let’s watch a movie and eat our hearts out while you rant to me about how much Lance is dumb for kissing that girl, ” Pidge softly commented, rubbing a calming hand on his back.

Keith half smiled at Pidge. While this girl lived up to the nickname of "gremlin” she was also very caring, which surprised him at first. Now, he was grateful for her.

That night, Pidge and Keith did, in fact, eat to their heart’s content. Keith ended up choosing a romantic tragedy to watch, which, not surprisingly, ended in hard crying from both parties.

While the night may have been heartbreaking at the beginning, Pidge had made sure the night was not completely ruined. She had given Keith the outlet he needed for his feelings, which, without her, he would have kept locked up and it would have built up until he exploded.

Pidge was happy to provide that for him. She didn’t mind, for he had become someone close to her. He always helped her when he didn't have to. He watched out for her like a Matt #2, and it was something she needed whenever she was missing her brother.

When she had seen Keith cry during the movie, she knew that he wasn’t just crying for the protagonist, but he was also crying for himself.

Pidge was pulled out of her thoughts when Keith put an arm in front of her to stop her from walking off the sidewalk.

The three students stopped in front of the red stoplight, waiting for the small green man to appear and reassure them it was okay to cross. Keith was still walking with a slight frown on his face, and Lance had popped his earphones in, lost in his own thoughts.

Pidge moved next to Keith and wrapped her left arm around his waist. He looked down at her, small worry lines still etched into his forehead. Slowly, he removed his right arm from her hold and lightly wrapped it around her shoulders.

He knew that with Pidge behind him, always encouraging him, he would figure something out.

They kept walking until they reached the Soft Shop. Pidge and Lance ordered their regulars and sat at the back of the shop near the windows. Lance pulled his laptop out and began typing while Pidge revised her messy notes in another notebook and talked to him about who knows what.

It was around the middle of his shift that Keith got a text from Shiro telling him that he was swamped at his work, and he didn't think that he was going to be able to make it to lunch.

'Might as well stay for the whole day' Keith thought to himself.

Throughout the day, many different types of people came in, some were regulars and some were people Keith had never seen before in his life.

Keith had been getting a drink for a girl ready when he heard the bell jingle and Pidge gasp. He looked up for a second to see what seemed like an older version of Pidge coming in through the door.

"Matt!" Pidge yelled out as she shoved her chair back and ran to him.

Matt chuckled out as he tried his best not to drop the small ball of energy that had rammed into him.

Keith quickly finished the drink and slid it across to the girl who had been patiently waiting for it.

"Thanks uh- Keith, right?" the girl asked.

Keith took a second to glance at her before answering. "Yeah. You're welcome."

Her cheeks tainted pink before she left the shop. Keith looked up to see that Lance had been watching them. Keith sighed, not wanting to deal with his feelings at the moment.

"Allura, I'm taking a small break!" Keith softly called out to her before ripping his apron off and walking around the counter. Luckily there was almost no one here, except for the people who had already ordered and were enjoying their time inside the shop.

"Keith!" Matt smiled, arms stretched out.

"Hey, Matt. It's been a while," Keith smiled before enveloping himself in the familiar hug.

He had known Matt for a few years, but he could never have imagined that his Matt was related to Pidge. He had referred to her as Katie whenever he had talked about her, so Keith sure had a small 'huh-this-is-a-small-world-after-all' moment. But luckily, he had spent a lot of time hearing Matt rant about his work, so it wasn't that hard to do the same for Pidge and still understand what they were saying.

Matt slightly released his hug, but still kept his arm around Keith, and Keith didn't mind.

He had grown up a bit touch starved, especially since his father had left. His mother had been so focused on providing for him that all the physical loving touched were kept to a minimum. With his mother and him, it had been more about deep conversations and communications between them.

So with Shiro and Matt being the only older brother-like people in his life, he had clung to them when he was smaller. They had been there for the really awkward stage of his life, and he didn't know if that made him grateful or embarrassed.

"You literally haven't grown," Matt laughed as he ruffled Keith's hair affectionately with his free hand.

"I'm your sister, yet you prefer hugging the emo?" Pidge grunted, causing both males to laugh.

Lance suddenly popped up from behind Pidge, catching Matt's eye.

"Oh! This is Lance, a friend who has a bad sense of humor and is as oblivious as they come." Pidge lightly nudged Lance.

"Well, I'm Matt," he smiled, extending the hand that wasn't around Keith towards him.

Lance took his hand, almost in a reserved manner, and shook it.

"Nice to meet you," Lance replied, eye's semi-flickering between Keith and Matt.

"Likewise. And no need to be nervous. I don't bite," Matt joked.

"Ha! What a lie," Keith snorted, remembering when Matt bit him once for trying to steal his box of chicken nuggets. 

Matt wiggled his eyes suggestively. "Depends which type of bite we're talking about"

Keith let out a small laugh, slightly shoving Matt who just pulled him back into another crushing hug.

"Ewww…how gay," Pidge commented jokingly.

"Dang Keith, she's calling you out!" Matt drawled out, being the instigator, as always.

"What?" Lance asked, almost if he hadn't heard.

Matt's mouth turned into a small 'o'.

"Was he not supposed to know?" Matt questioned nervously, looking at Pidge and Keith for an answer.

"He just didn't know," Pidge explained.

"Wait, Pidge knew?!" Lance asked again, looking even more confused.

Pidge quickly looked away, as if trying to avoid being blamed for everything.

"Oops. I didn't mean to out you Keith. To make things even, I'll out myself as well. I'm gay," Matt smiled as if trying to comfort Lance. Lance looked between Keith and Matt, not sure what to make of the situation.  Everyone stood there as if waiting for Lance's reaction. Pidge, who really wasn't up to dealing with the weird tension in the room, cleared her throat.

"So, how did studying abroad go for you?" She questioned her brother.

Matt quickly went on a rant about the beautiful buildings he saw, all the new things he learned, and the new people he met.

They all moved back to sit at the table the duo was previously at, which was great for Lance because he could pretend to do his work while he tried to sort his thoughts. All the pining he had been doing over his 'straight friend' seemed to be resolved all of a sudden. It all seemed surreal. However, Keith had mentioned that he liked someone who would never like him back.

Lance looked up to see both Pidge and Keith listening to Matt with all their attention.

_Maybe it's Matt._

Lance quickly looked away, a small pain in his chest rising. He quickly shook all the thoughts from his brain and continued to do his work, Matt's chatter, Pidge's comments, and Keith's laughter just becoming background noise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just took the ACT and now I'm taking my AP exams this week so I literally just used this chapter as stress relief. If it seems off, it's because I feel a bit off with all studying and all.   
> ~ Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter ~


	4. Just a little bit of hope

Keith's alarm clock woke him up with a start. He slowly reached out to his charging phone on his nightstand. He kept trying to hit snooze, but the alarm just kept blasting in his ear. Keith let out a small whine as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He lifted his phone to his face and his heart seemed to stop instantly.

"No, it wasn't a dream. Lance knows you're gay!" read the title of his alarm.

He groaned and slammed his head back into his pillows. Maybe he could skip today. He could call in sick at the Soft Shop, and Lance would probably be nice enough to lend him today's notes.

No. Not probably. There's no doubt Lance would be nice enough to lend him the notes. Even so, if Keith called in sick Shiro would probably drop by to check on him, and he would be caught mid lie. Aside from that, his classes cost too much for him to be skipping them just because he didn't have the guts to see Lance's reaction.

Keith felt like screaming until his lungs and throat couldn't take it anymore. Yesterday, he had been too busy talking to Matt to focus on Lance. He also had left half an hour in, so that didn't help his situation either.  He feared Lance might change how he acted around him. However, the little voice in his head kept telling him Lance would be too nice to do that.

Before he could convince himself to just stay in bed all day, he threw his blankets off and walked towards the bathroom. He 'combed' his hair first, which just meant running a brush through his hair twice before giving up. He then proceeded to brush his teeth. Keith walked out into his room again and grabbed a warm pair of socks from his drawer. He was in the process of slipping them on when the soft patter on his window soon caught his attention.

"Great. It's raining." Keith mumbled to himself. Usually, Keith loved the rain, but today it just seemed to bring his mood down even more.

Sighing, Keith pulled on two pairs of black thick, warm leggings, a grey long sleeve thermal shirt, and a dark grey hoodie on top. He walked to his backpack to make sure all the right materials he needed were inside. He shoved his key to his dorm and his ID into the small front pocket of the bag. He was about to leave just like that, but the blue hoodie, Lance's hoodie, on top of his bed made him hesitate. Keith could wear the blue hoodie to school, kept it warm, and then return it to Lance. Plus, it would probably be the last time he would be able to wear his crush's hoodie. He had contemplated just never returning it, but Lance would ask for it sooner or later. Might as well get over with it now.

Keith quickly took his own hoodie off and stuffed it in his backpack. He then wiggled his way into the blue on.

He grabbed his bag and slung it on. Keith walked to the door and grabbed his most comfortable sneakers, slipped them on, stood, unhooked his umbrella from the wall, and walked out.

Keith was halfway down the hall when he patted his hoodie's pocket and realized he had forgotten his phone.

"I swear I'm going to throw myself out of a window real soon," Keith groaned as he walked back. He fetched his key, swiped it, and pushed the door open. He unplugged his phone and grabbed a ten out of his stash of money he had been saving up. After the semi-bad morning he has been having, he deserved a treat.

Once he made it downstairs, he felt a little bit better. He opened his umbrella and promptly stepped out. Soon, the rain began playing a soothing rhythm above him. Even if the rain wasn't the best weather he had hoped for today, it seemed to match his mood. Keith guessed that was better than being sad on a sunny day with people happily roaming the streets.

"Well, today could get worse," Keith mumbled and stuck his hand out. The rain slowly began to fully wet his hand. He pulled his hand back and lightly patted it on his leggings before taking his earphones out, plugging them in, and playing music on his phone.

It wasn't long before he arrived at the Soft Shop. The small jingle welcomed him into the store as always. He walked to the back room to find only Allura there.

"Morning," he greeted as he placed his bag in its usual place and the umbrella on top of some cardboard where Allura had placed hers.

"Good morning, Keith," Allura replied, handing him a warm cup of coffee.

"And Shiro?"

"Had to go pick Matt up so they could head to class together," Allura yawned, lightly ruffling Keith's hair.

"Matt's taking morning classes?" Keith asked, raising an eyebrow. "He's going to die."

"Don't jinx it. Poor boy probably still has jet lag," Allura called out as she walked away. She began setting the chairs down onto the floor. Keith pushed himself off of the wall he had been leaning on and began to help.

"Matt's going to start working with us soon," Allura informed Keith.

"So quick? Did he even have an interview?" Keith questioned as he placed napkin dispensers on the tables.

"Yeah. Shiro mentioned he'd probably need somewhere to work, so I had a Skype interview before he arrived. He seemed like a good person; he's had experience and has good reviews and recommendations from his previous workplaces."

"He didn't even tell me…" Keith huffed.

"Maybe he wanted it to be a surprise?" Allura suggested.

"Maybe," Keith agreed.

They both quietly sat down at a table and kept sipping their coffee. The rain pounding on the roof and outside seemed distant to Keith as he just sat there, enjoying the peace and quiet.

It didn't last long. The clock struck 7 am, and Allura stood to change the sign from CLOSED to OPEN. Keith stood and threw his empty cup in the trash before grabbing his work apron and tying it around himself.

By 7:30, people were rushing in, either because traffic caused them to arrive late at the shop or because the ride to their work would be a long one. Luckily, two other workers had arrived around 7:20, so things hadn’t gotten too chaotic. Before Keith knew it, it was 8:50, signaling Keith better leave soon if he wanted to get to class on time.

Keith clocked out and took his apron off while jogging to get his bag.

"I'm off, Allura," Keith called out, snatching his umbrella off the floor.

"Good luck! Be careful with the rain Keith!" Allura warned him as he exited the coffee shop.

It wasn't until Keith was about 5 minutes away from class that he remembered he was wearing Lance's hoodie. The rumbling from his stomach also reminded him he had forgotten to eat.

 _Be nervous or be hungry. Right now I can't deal with both,_ Keith begged to his body.

Keith entered the warm building, shaking his umbrella dry, to find a vending machine in the corner. He dug into his pocket and fished out the ten dollar bill he had taken in the morning. Keith shoved his ten into the machine and bought a protein shake and a protein bar.

He got five dollars back, all in quarters. Keith groaned as he put them in the small pocket of his bag. Five dollars for such a small bar and shake seemed unfair, but he was hungry, so it's not like he could really complain.

Keith walked to his class, hoping Lance wouldn't be there.

_Of course, he's not going to be there. You didn't even stop to meet him where you usually do._

He also hoped Lance wouldn't question him as to why he didn't wait for him in their usual meeting spot.

Keith proceeded to sit in his usual spot and opened his bar. He still had a few minutes before class began to eat.

He was three-fourths done with his bar when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Keith pulled his phone from his hoodie, music still playing.

L- Are you coming to school today?

Keith lightly bit the bar so both of his hands could be free to reply.

K- I'm already in class.

Lance seemed to be typing back when the three small bubbles disappeared, just leaving Keith with his message there and a small Read 9:40 underneath. He gently placed his phone on the table and kept eating.

He bit the last of his bar, slowly encouraging himself. He had done nothing wrong. His sexuality was never important when Lance thought he was straight, so it shouldn't be now. Plus, Lance still bothered to ask if he was coming, which meant he still viewed him as a friend. Everything was still good. Nothing needed to change. Or at least that's what he tried to tell himself.

He opened his shake and began drinking slowly, wishing that the food would calm his screaming stomach. He sipped slowly, lost in his own thoughts. After a few minutes, he closed his shake and decided to throw his trash away.

Keith was crumpling his empty bar wrapper when Lance walked in. He was busy stuffing his umbrella inside a small waterproof bag. Keith stood and walked to the trashcan near Lance. As he approached him, the movement caught Lance's attention, causing him to look up.

"Oh, hey. Morning Keith," Lance greeted him, a smile wide on his lips.

"Morning," Keith replied, letting go of his wrapper and dusting his hands off.

Keith began walking back, not knowing what else to say, his thoughts running wild for no reason.

"Keith?" Lance called out, grabbing his arm before he could walk any further.

"Yeah?" Keith turned around, wishing he had stayed home.

"About what Matt said yesterday. Are you really gay?"

Keith felt his stomach drop. He knew this question was going to be asked today. He had hoped it'd be after class so he could have the chance to run away after.

"Uh. Yeah? Is that going to be a problem?" Keith questioned, feeling the sudden need to defend himself from the fact that Lance might not be okay with this at all.

A worried expression crossed Lance's face.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Lance let go of Keith's arm. " I just wanted to hear it from you and make sure I wasn't just assuming things."

"Oh…well, yeah. I like boys." Keith reiterated, not knowing what else to say.

"So about Matt-" Lance started, just to get cut off by Keith.

"He likes boys, too."

"No, that's not what I'm asking about."

Before Lance had the chance to interrogate him more, another student walked in, telling them the professor was right outside and would get there soon.

"Thanks, Amy," Keith smiled at her as she walked by.

"Let's go sit down," Keith turned to Lance, who nodded.

After class began, Keith hoped there would be no more follow up questions about his sexuality.

Halfway through the lesson, Keith's screen lit up, causing both Lance's and Keith's attention to be drawn to it.

 _< 3 Matt, the love of my life <3_\- Hey, I'm picking you up when your class ends. Let's walk to SS together~

Keith rolled his eyes, but couldn’t stop the small smile that tugged at his lips.

Matt had insisted that the long, dorky phrase be his contact name so Keith wouldn't forget about him during the time that he was gone.

He caught Lance glancing between the text and him, so he quickly flipped his phone over before he could read it. With that, he tuned in his professor again, and he was back to taking notes.

Lance, on the other hand, was doing his best to concentrate, but the text Keith had received was throwing him off. He had gotten a glimpse at the contact name and the smile that Keith didn’t bother to hide. His previous fears had been right. Keith was in love with Matt. It made sense. From what Lance remembered, Keith didn’t seem to show interest in any other guys they knew. Whenever Lance tried to hint that he liked Keith, Keith didn't seem to either get the message or care. His head was probably filled with Matt-related thoughts so much that he's oblivious to other people's flirting. He didn't want Keith to love Matt. He wanted Keith to love him. He wanted Keith to love him so much that the thought of Keith kissing another boy made Lance's stomach churn in a nasty way.

Lance was brought out of his thoughts when their professor let out a huge sneeze. A multitude of 'bless you's echoed the classroom.

"Hey, Keith are you free on Friday?" Lance asked quickly, caught up in the moment his thoughts had created.

"Yeah? After my shift at the Soft Shop," Keith replied, leaning on his right arm.

"Want to go catch a movie after you finish?"

"Sure. Which one? Because remember, Hunk doesn't really do horror." Keith perked up at the mention of going out.

"Maybe…I was just thinking it could be you and me," Lance blurted out.

"Oh." Keith breathed out, face flushing. He didn't say anything after; instead, a small frown took over his face. The professor had begun his lesson again, and Keith hadn't given him an answer, so he decided to focus on taking his notes again.

He was just starting to feel deflated when Keith lightly nudged him, pointing to the corner of his paper where Keith had messily written _Around what time??_

___________________________________________________

Keith was currently back in his dorm on his bed, a bowl of popcorn between him and Matt. Matt had originally been his dorm mate before he went abroad. They had just finished bringing all his things back into his dorm from the Holt family house.

"Ugh! I think I overreacted about him finding out I'm gay," Keith groaned out. He had, extremely flustered, given Lance his hoodie back before practically running out of the classroom to meet Matt.

"Oh god. I should've washed the hoodie before giving it back to him," Keith whined, shoving a handful of popcorn in his mouth.

"I'm sure he won't mind. And of course, you overreacted. He's your crush, what did you expect to feel like once he found out about your sexuality. It's a given you'd be nervous about it." Matt commented while scrolling through his phone.

"He asked about you…" Keith sighed.

Sensing his tone, Matt put his phone down. "What do you mean? In what way?"

"I don't know. After I told him you're gay, he wanted to keep talking about you. And he had this look on his face… I think he likes you, "Keith finished, looking to his left to make eye contact with Matt. Keith knew it was an irrational thought. He didn't even know if Lance liked boys. 

"I'm sure he doesn't. We barely met. We haven't even talked much-"

"Then he's interested in you," Keith continued.

"If he is, I'll just keep talking about what a great guy you are," Matt assured him.

"We're going to the movies on Friday. Just the two of us," Keith whispered out, still not believing it himself.

"Isn't that a date? Why would you think he's interested in me?"

"We've never gone out, like, just the two of us. I think he wants to keep asking me about you." Keith confessed.

"What? That's nonsense, Keith! This is considered a date!" Matt sat up, excited.

"I'm not too sure…"

"Keith, trust me! I would know. Guys would do this to me all the time back in my sophomore year. So, get excited, my little grasshopper, because this sure as heck a date!" Matt ranted, hands wildly gesturing in front of him.

Keith had honestly been trying not to raise his hopes, but with Matt encouraging him, that was getting really hard to do. Even though he tried lying to himself, the butterflies in his stomach would always remind him of what he really wanted.

Keith let out a shaky breath and ran a hand through his hair. "Do you really think so?"

"Yeah!" Matt confidently yelled out. "And if he breaks your heart, I'll break his dick for leading you on."

Keith let out a sharp laugh. "Please don't do that."

It truly was great to have Matt back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm dead inside. I finished all my APs and mostly all my classes. All my projects are due next week, and I haven't gotten more than 3 hours of sleep this whole week. I am deceased~


End file.
